Kindr, The App Aiming to Make the World a Kinder Place

“What’s the opposite of cyber-bullying? Kindness” – Matt Ivester, CEO and co-founder of Kindr

In the digital world there is no shortage of malicious and hurtful comments, stories, and pictures. Too much time on the Internet can leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and wondering whether there is any kindness left in our generation.  The hurtful words we put into the world can have a huge effect on the people around us. But, so can words of encouragement and kindness.

The new app, Kindr, aims to do just that, spread encouragement and kindness through the digital world.

Kindr makes it easy to brighten someone’s day. Whether it’s with a creative compliment, a heartfelt thank you, a feel-good news story from Huffington Post, or just a silly gif, there are endless options to make your friends and family smile.

Browse by category or search by keyword to find the perfect gif. Send it to your friend with just a few taps. And keep the conversation going with real-time chat.

  

Try a 30-day challenge. Wake up every morning for a month and send a Kindr to a friend or even yourself.

See if your life becomes a little Kindr!

Gym Etiquette – Making the best of Trudy

Once upon a time, a nerdy kid walked into the gym. This was me the other day, and I’m sure you know the punchline. Walking in, I hopped on a treadmill next to an athletic-looking man who looked as if he could bench my mother, my father and me. I started pressing buttons and as the TV channels changed, I realized my attempts to start the machine failed. So I turned to my left and opened my mouth to mutter, “Hey, how do I work this?”. He slowed down, sweaty and interrupted, making me feel more out of place than I already was, and reached over touching the lever that I entirely overlooked. Embarrassed and ashamed, I started to run. Looking to my left again, he was gone, later I noticed that he went to the elliptical behind me, which I took as getting as far as he could away from me.

After the traumatic event, I realized I broke a few of the sacred gym rules, so in the past week, I have scoured the earth to figure out how to make sure this situation will not happen again to anyone. (Thanks to Shannon Hanby, a certified personal trainer, for the information she gave.)

The Sacred Rules of the Gym A.K.A. Gym Etiquette

1.) Do not get on a cardio machine next to someone unless absolutely necessary, or if you are workout buddies.

2.) Wipe down your machine after you use it.

3.) Wipe down you mat after using it. Put it away.

4.) When using equipment or weights, put it back when you are done for the safety of others and to let people know you are done.

5.) Do not sit on a machine or lie on you mat doing nothing. Someone may want to use the machine or the space.

6.) Do not race the person next to you on the treadmill/elliptical/etc. It can throw people off their rhythm and it’s just kinda annoying.

7.) Don’t play your music so loud that people can hear it through your earbuds.

8.) When using the water fountain, drink and then let the next person use it. Do not hog the fountain.

9.) Try not to have a conversation while they are working out.

10.) Be kind, courteous, and respectful of everyone’s space.

The gym can be an intimidating place, but maybe with these tips you can, at least, not get in anyone’s way, like I did. Good luck!

Healthy Pizza – Solution to the quick, healthy, TASTY meal.

Pizza. If you ask students what their favorite food is, you’ll probably get a lot of this answer. There’s a reason why Slices has become as prevalent downtown. Pizza is a comfort food; its good and simple. But often, I wish pizza was healthier, so here in the Shaw Wellness blog we present the healthy pizza.  Healthy pizza combines cooking ease, and tasty product. Here are heathy recipes for pizza and in another article there will be instruction on how to make dough, (although it can be bought pre-made). So preheat the oven to 450F, spread the sauce and add the toppings, and you have yourself a great tasting pizza.

Ingredients:

• Refrigerated pizza dough

+Plus

Greek pizza

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved and broiled until softened
• 1/2 cup cooked chopped onion
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Pepperoni, onion, olive pizza

• 1/2 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
• 1 ounce pepperoni slices (about 18 slices)
• 10 niçoise olives, pitted and halved lengthwise
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) pre-shredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Italian-blend cheese

Spicy sausage and mushroom pizza

• 1/2 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce
• ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
• 1 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Bacon, tomato, arugula pizza

• 1/2 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce
• 5 applewood-smoked cooked bacon slices
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup baby arugula

Four cheese pizza

• 7 teaspoons olive oil, spread on crush before cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/3 cup (about 3 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 ounces taleggio cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Have yourself a merry pizza! Thanks to Cooking Light’s article “25 Healthy Pizza Recipes”.

WE CARE ABOUT YOU

Shaw Wellness’ new video, check it out!

The Mindful Challenge

Eating healthy should be second nature. I constantly hear, “You are what you eat”, and for that reason I’d much rather be Brazilian chicken breast than tenders and fries. I want to immerse myself in a food culture that tries to better my composition and make it easy to get the full pyramid in one healthy meal. Here at Colgate, we exemplify the fittest group of students that ever roamed the college scene, but the route to health diverts its course to a purely physical sense. You cannot be healthy without a nutritious diet. To be whatever shape you want to be, you must get those basic food groups. In response to our dietary need, Sodexo has procured the Mindful Station. The Mindful Station at Frank Dining Hall provides healthy meal choices, all less than 600 calories, with no salt added, encompassing the focus of Wellness, trying to create within us long lasting habits and a healthy balanced lifestyle. So be gone you naysayers, the stars have aligned for the health of our bodies and minds. Frank Dining hall now makes eating healthy easy. No more saying, “Who has time to eat healthy when I stock my box refrigerator with ramen, power bars and caprisun?” for the same amount of time it takes to grab that burger or some ‘za, you can get your hands on shrimp alfredo with whole wheat rotini, vegetarian paella, or Thai citrus beef stir fry with rice. Doesn’t that sound a little better? I would much rather be Thai beef than Angus beef. But obviously I shouldn’t be endorsing it yet before I try it, right? So what do I do? I committed myself to a challenge. Let’s call it the Mindful Challenge. For nine days, I ate at the Mindful Station, because I wanted to see what the hubbub was all about.

This is no dramatic “Supersize Me” challenge, there will be no dramatic physical changes. Maybe if I did a selfie everyday you’d see the healthy glow of my skin in the after picture but I thought that it would be better if you saw what I was eating rather than who was eating it. After the nine meals, and nine somewhat instagram-like photos later, I think I have a better understanding of what this station is all about.

Frank really does experiment and try to bring a fresh look at cafeteria food. It’s not your mothers cooking but it’s as close as it probably can get in a college dining hall. Every meal has a grain, a green and a source of protein (yes, that rhymes). It’s adventurous, I must add, for a cafeteria. Sometimes my simple palate was not experienced or adventuresome enough for Chef Mike. But this does offer the pyramid. After these meals, I was full and my mind was at ease that the ramen could be put back to the cupboard. I’m sure Frank makes these meals better than I would for myself and I commend Frank for the effort they have put in to make our fit student body a healthy one too.  This adds another dimension to the way we eat at Frank, one that can only help improve the accessibility of eating healthy within a college schedule and workload. Within Frank standards, this is surely a necessary change it needs.

A few recommendations though: there should be a consistent Mindful breakfast too for sometimes the breakfast needs the pizzazz that the Mindful Station could add. On top of that I recommend, only my opinion, the chefs behind the station focus more on the staples/basics and then work up to the adventurous food. Sometimes I was nervous that the food was going to be outside of my comfort zone, and I could see this idea preventing reluctant students from grabbing healthy food. Even non-comfort food should be comfortable.

All in all, the Mindful Station should be the necessary step towards a healthier student body. When you need to grab some food to keep you going throughout the day, grab it from the Mindful Station. Be the Brazilian chicken and take the first step towards a more balanced, purposeful, healthy lifestyle. 

The Difficulties of “Everything in Moderation”: We Understand!

“Everything is fine, as long as it’s in moderation.”

How many times have you heard the above saying? I know for me it’s many more times than I could count or remember, and each time I hear it I think of what a great concept it is; a healthy way to live. However, no matter how great it may sound, or how truly wonderful it is in principle, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to live by.

I constantly find that I’m saying to myself ‘just do this once’, or ‘just take one day off of working out, it’s a nice break’, or ‘only have one dessert today’, and it always sounds like an ideal plan. I’ll get to do the action I want, which should make me happy, and I’ll also avoid possible negative concepts of doing the actions over a long period of time, or in excess. In reality though, here’s what happens when I have those ideas; with the cookie idea, for example, I have one, and it’s so delicious and makes me so happy, and I keep thinking about having another one until I just can’t give in any longer and have one more, and then if I’ve had two it’s likely that I could think, ‘wow I’ve already had two, so I’m just going to have a third now’. This situation, of course is not the worst thing that could happen, and it’s perfectly fine to chow down on cookies once in a while, but when trying to live a life of moderation it poses an issue. For me, that issue often becomes a question of whether I should completely limit myself to only the things I know are perfectly good for me, or just give in completely and do the things I want, no matter if there may be some negative consequences. Ultimately though, I want it to become a question of how to find a balance of being completely happy and comfortable with my choices, while still knowing that these choices are good and healthy ones for me; a question of how to truly live the saying ‘everything in moderation’.

At Shaw Wellness Institute we are truly all about moderation; finding the perfect balance between indulging yourself and also staying healthy and well. As I’ve said, I understand that moderation is a concept that is much easier said than done, and the Shaw Wellness Institute understands that too. One of the awesome things that the Institute, and its associated groups, strive to do is to provide ways to more easily transition into this life of moderation. Whether it be tips on healthy ways to relieve stress rather than always eating, or always getting emotionally worn down, or ways to eat what you want just in healthier ways, or even ways to have an awesome and fulfilling social life, filled with evenings out and fun adventures, just with less of the associated negative consequences, Shaw Wellness Institute can help with moderation. It’s a hard concept to grasp, one that I’ve admittedly struggled with and continue to struggle with, but now I just think that for me it’s important not to cut out anything completely if it’s a fun and fulfilling part of your life, but to just manage each of these things to make sure that their benefits outweigh their risks. Shaw is all for doing what makes you happy and fulfilled, and we are just to here to make sure those things are done in the best way possible for each individual.

Brighten Your Instagram Feed

You can use your Instagram to bring wellness into your life.  Follow accounts that inspire, motivate, and promote wellness in your life.

Here are some suggestions on nutrition, health, and fitness accounts to start you on your way to transforming your Instagram feed!

instagram.com/nourishup
NourishUp posts healthy meals and snacks daily.

instagram.com/livingbodywellness
LivingBodyWellness is an account hosted by a Holistic Health Coach promoting a healthy lifestyle and vegetarian and gluten-free meals.

instagram.com/jayelllewis
JayellLewis posts on her road to total health and fitness.

instagram.com/kathyfreston
KathyFreston is a New York Times Best-Selling Author focusing on health and nutrition.

The Therapy Dogs – Part 2

Hopefully after reading what Dee said, you can understand the background of the Therapy Dogs program. A new sort of respect grew in me when I read her message. I could visualize the pain of the dogs’ previous lives and I saw the attitude they had when they came here. There was such a dramatic change. I could somewhat try to understand what these dogs have been through and what Dee has done to make them happy. When the world treated them badly, the kindness of one kind woman gave them hope for a better life. The Wanderer’s Rest Animal Shelter gives these animals a second chance and hopefully, with adoption, these animals can spread the hope seen deep within their eyes. This program resembles a microcosm of a compassionate and benevolent world. If we all are compassionate towards each other, human or animal, the world would be a better place. The Therapy Dog program focuses on primarily kids, and by showing them how kindness can change the wellbeing of an innocent dog, hopefully kindness will spread and create a healthier lifestyle for the kids and those around them. All I can wish for is for adoptions to continue to skyrocket and volunteers to fill the Wanderers Rest Animal Shelter. Stewart, Pebbles, Maya, and Savannah brighten the days of people here at Colgate and with all the support from the community, we will bring these dogs back for years to come. We thank DeeAnn Schaefer and Wanderers Rest for making a difference and giving second chances to those dogs in need. We look forward to seeing them before the end of the semester!

The Therapy Dogs

Therapy Dogs has been a success at Shaw Wellness since the beginning of the program. We love to have the dogs here and the Colgate community seems to love them too. The dogs were well behaved and every single one had its moment with a student. For a couple hours, students could enjoy the presence of these furry friends and appreciate the time they had to enjoy with them. But the time we had with the dogs and Dee, the warm friendly manager of Wanderers Rest Animal Shelter, was short. The few minutes we have can not be enough to fully understand the background of the Therapy Dogs event. I want to first mention DeeAnn Shaefer. If there is a person that exemplifies charity and benevolence, it would be Dee. She works with complete selflessness for the animals. She has devoted her professional career for the wellbeing of abandoned and strayed animals in Madison County. To best describe what she does for Wanderers Rest and the life stories of the dogs she brought, I can only use her own words. She has the knowledge and the compassion that only she can create. I will follow this up with another article, but read what she has to say, hopefully you will be as touched as I was:

“Wanderers’ Rest has been in existence for 32 years and we are the ONLY animal shelter in Madison county.  This year alone we have taken in 1082 animals, and we still have 2 1/2 months left to the year.  We have a small contract with Madison county to take in the strays, but that contract doesn’t even cover 1/4 of our budget. The rest of our funding is donation only.  We don’t have a vet on staff and are dependent on five local vets that donate their time once a week.  We have a small staff to care for more than 200 animals, so we are always looking for volunteers to fill on those positions that would free us up to do more work with our animals.  We are out at adoption events EVERY weekend with our animals and as a result, our adoption rates have skyrocketed.  In July, we reached out to the City of Oneida and donated pet supplies and pet vaccines to the flood victims.   Each year we hold two large fund raisers…Bone Appetit and The Canine Classic to help bring in money for our animals.

My dogs are all rescues.  Stewart, the fluffy little white fellow was dumped in the shelter at age 10 when the family got a puppy, he was then in the way. They told us that he was vicious….  No one adopts an older dog so after he sat in the shelter for 5 months I brought him home.  I saw something special in him and started taking him places and eventually trained him to do Humane Education and therapy visits. Stewart is now 13 and LOVES his job.  He has become a great ambassador for the shelter.

Pebbles, the speckled dachshund is a Katrina survivor, she is almost 11 and absolutely loves what she does she does have a small amount of separation anxiety so the fact that she is able to come to work with me is wonderful.

Savannah, the newest member of our team (yesterday was her first time out), is a former bait dog.  She was bred and bred and when they were done with that she was used in a pit fighting ring as bait.  She’s come a very long way in the three years she’s been with my husband and I and I am confident that she will bring many smiles to many people in years to come

Maya, my lab is about 9 and she was hit by a car and left on the road.  The animal control officer found her and basically called her a “train wreck”.  She has some serious physical disabilities as a result of being hit but she loves people. We will keep her going as long as physically possible for her.  Last March (2012) she was in the Chittenango High School production of “Annie”.

These dogs and I go to schools and do Humane Education presentations. Our program is much more than just about animals, it is about living a better and more compassionate lifestyle.  We speak about how animal abuse does eventually lead to bullying and domestic violence in so many cases. We want to make a difference in the lives of children because through them, we can make a difference in the lives of the families.” – DeeAnn Shaefer

Continued in Part 2…

Cooking Demos: Fending for Yourself Post-Meal-Plan

For the first two years at Colgate, most people are on a meal plan. The world of endless food awaits in the hands of Jean, who swipes your Gate Card, and offers you a smile, marking the entrance to the golden gates of Frank dining hall. But this meal plan only extends while you are up the hill. Pushed by the ResLife off the city upon the hill junior year; 2 minutes away from all your classes and 1 minute away from food. You are down the hill, left to fend for yourself. You can get to class, you can still see your friends but how will you feed yourself? Easy Mac and Ramen could sustain you for awhile but what about real food? This is where the cooking demo comes in; Sodexo helps post-meal-plan too. The cooking demo tries to teach the Colgate community how to cook an easy meal. Between lab and that meeting of yours, what can you cook in the 1-2 hours? In the past, they made sushi, burritos, and barley pilaf. Along with teaching how to make the food, they buy the food directly from Price Chopper, and tell you how much the groceries would cost. Get those groceries, use that stove, feel the gratification of self-sufficiency, eat on! Check out the cooking demos coming in November and December.